Rusty 65 SC restoration

[70bus]

"Mine just clears the bumper. I pinch my fingers every now and then."

FWIW, that is the way mine is; I didn't say anything because I assumed it's wrong, and you would provide the 'correct' answer and I'd adjust it!

I'll try to get some measurements today but here's some pics

Lid to bumper is maybe a fat finger or two smaller ones wide. From looking at these pics, I assume my brackets are tipping bumper down towards the front; I seem to rcall stacking washers above and below to get them this good! There's a local VW meetup tonight and I'll try to see what other bumper/lid gaps look like.
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[Kb65single]

70bus

thanks for the pictures they helped.


Driver's side guard was a little more beat up. PO's made a mess out of it. Looks like they tried to adjust it to fit the profile of the bumper but failed. Some typical dents on the face that were easy to pound out.

Welded some small repairs on both sides of the guard and it looked and fit better.

Tried on the towel bar and it didn't fit like the passenger side. Almost seemed like it was too long.

The position of the guards was different. Engine lid opening and taillight opening weren't the same distance from each other.

Measured the difference. Marked the engine lid opening.

The stance of the guards was very different also. Driver's side was straight vertical, and the pass side was slanted in at the top. I compared the front bumper, and those guards were slanted in at the top. Some pictures from the forums show both ways, but never different on the same bumper. 70bus showed them slanted in at the top. I couldn't keep it that way because it would just look weird. (The far away bumper guard is a little difficult to see because it blends in with all the crap behind it. Sorry!)

Getting the two guards symmetrical would require a bit of effort. Choose to slant the top of the guard in first and see if that would improve the position of the towel bar. Graph some metal on both sides of that guard and ground it to match the passenger side.

Unfortunately, moving the guard toward the center of the bus required moving the bumper blade bracket and drilling a new hole in the blade and plugging the old hole. Had to undo what I did to the frame bracket to center the blade in the bus. A pain in the ass but I didn't think I had a choice. Could have shortened the towel bar but that wouldn't cure the non-symmetry. More work than I wanted but ....

After I got done, I had to move the hole slightly on the side of the bumper blade. Looking more and more like a bus from the rear. Next will be the reproduction splash pans, what could go wrong.

[70bus]

Sweet! I agree the slanting-back LOOKS best... no idea if it's the stock stance. Maybe all of the slanted ones are the result of tipped bumpers! I did look around at the other buses at the meetup, and without opening a strangers lid, they looked to range from 'watch yr fingers' to a narrow but pinch-less sweep. Maybe a 1/2" in variation? My bumper tips forward, and I'm sure if I massaged that out I'd have more room for flesh in the gap.

Any ideas why your sides were so different? W/out scrolling back, I can't remember if both sides were replaced; maybe if one is OG the repro was off a smidge? Or do you think the culprit was the bumper and all of its sad history of dings?
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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[Kb65single]

[Eric&Barb]

FYI when taking off the front emblem, it is best to push against the posts with a piece of hardwood dowel. That will slide the speed nut clips right off.

Black set of rear bumper brackets are for 1968-71 bus.

Are you going to setup a drain system for the gas door like the bus models do in the engine compartment? Rain always get around that door to rust out the floors inside the trucks.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[70bus]

E&B make a good suggestion - especially for someone with such welding skill.

I used JBWeld. Misses a few drips, but gets most of the dribbles.

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Craig K
70 Neunsitzer
65 Pritschenwagen
"If Von Dutch was alive, he'd walk in there with a pistol and shoot these people." - Robert Williams

Raul the 65 singlecab

Karl the 70 nine-seater

[Kb65single]

[Eric&Barb]

No worries. Just figured to pass on the emblem info, you just never know if you might come across an old bus nose up in some attic and need that to remove the VW sign. The 1963-67 workshop manual also has that info in the body section.

Ages ago in the 1990s we came across a barn door single cab that this old fellow in very dry eastern Oregon had the local wrecking yard back in the 1970s torch the cab off so he could keep it in his back yard just for the glass in it for spare for his 1958ish bus. Torched off just below the rear window and just below the doors lower hinge across the nose. Of course the local kids back in the day were nice enough to go over to his place to throw racks thru most of the glass.......
Sold all of that to a guy down in south California, who drove a Toyota (?) sedan all the way up to Seattle area where we were at the time and back to that sunny climate. Have always wondered what happened to those parts. Did it complete a single project (pun intended) or many??

Anyway, wish we had seen your project earlier, not at all sure how we missed it. Love the work you are doing!!
The only thing we would warn you is that the green primer from what we have heard over the years is only good for shipping purpose, and should not be used for long term. Have even heard from some folks that surface rust has been found under the primer. Maybe remove green primer that you can reach now already in the truck and remove all on any piece going into it from now on. Then apply a decent primer.
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In Stereo, Where Available!

[Eric&Barb]

As for the gas door water intrusion situation, have yet to do anything with our runner single cab, but it has for the most part been kept under cover and not driven in the rain for many years now. Been thinking of making a "U" shaped gutter (with a bit of a "V" bottom to encourage water and dirt to slide on downward) about 1" tall, and wide enough that someone can run a finger into it to pull out and debris that might get into it.

Thinking of going pretty much the front to rear length of that panel with a 30 to 45 degree slope for the gutter going downward to the rear. Front end of the gutter would not need to be closed off with that steep of incline, and the rear end to funnel into at least a 13mm (1/2") pipe to drop down just in front of the rear wheel well. Weld the gutter to several points of the panel and use a drip rail or body panel seam sealer coating to keep water from getting past the gutter. Probably would need to make the panel side of the gutter higher to allow easy welding and visual of the coating/sealing.

Have also thought about a cover panel that would connect to the gutter and cover as much upward of the whole gas filler area to catch as much of the water spray that gets into there, but be easily removable with 4 to 6 machine screws. First would be to do the gutter and go from there.
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In Stereo, Where Available!